Hello all

[rahul]

Hello all,

First of all, my apology for delay in updating Rahul’s Forum – the delay was because of the necessary post-play responsibilities, which needed immediate attention. In addition, I had to prepare to attend two conferences – one in Kitchener and one in Toronto this past weekend. I thank those who have joined the forum and I promise to update and share thoughts with the Rahul’s Forum.

We received great feedback and support from the public.

One audience member wrote that the first causality of war, almost always, is the truth. And for that reason, he found the play particularly meaningful as it unmasked deadly lies of the war that has claimed over 1.3 million lives.

The best part of being playwright is the interactive relationship with the audiences. Where the playwright’s wisdom ends, the audiences wisdom begins. Most of our audiences affirmed, renewed and challenged as well as raised the issues that the play had not raised.

Many of my peers from the artistic community also shared their thoughts. While most loved the play, some questioned if the play was sufficiently subtle. For me, the subtleness is a matter of craft – how subtle a playwright must be to communicate an idea and how much is too much that might alienate the audiences. The playwright should always be respectful towards the audiences and not preach. But being subtle doesn’t mean self-censorship.

I think an artist always has something to say, which is accepted and expanded by the audiences when it is said honestly and subtly with artistic beauty and imagination. Our team under director Arianna Bardesono's leadership achieved that valiantly.

Art is always about human condition and an artist has always to make a choice about the purpose of their art. The task of the artist is to make choices, take risks, and shape a voice strong enough to rise above the conventional. For me, this play served many purposes; most importantly it underscored the need to find ways other than war to defeat terrorism. I welcome your feedback.

Rahul, Sept 30, 2009